Friday, June 02, 2017

Dao De Jing, Chapter 78

Tao Te Ching by Lao TzuChapter 78

"Nothing in the world is weaker than water

but against the hard and the strong nothing excels itfor nothing can change itthe soft overcomes the hardthe weak overcomes the strongthis is something everyone knows but no one is able to practicethus the sage declares who accepts a country's disgrace we call the lord of soil and grainwho accepts a country's misfortune we call king of all under Heavenupright words sound upside down"- Translated by Bill Porter (Red Pine), 1996, Chapter 78

"Heaven below (the sacred body) is not as soft and yielding as water, yet can take on the rigid and violent.Without its (the sacred body's) ability to overcome the rigid and the violent, it is nothing.It replaces violence with gentleness.It overcomes violence.Tenderly it overcomes the unyielding.Without knowing this, no one in Heaven below can progress.The sages speak of guarding the community:Dishonor comes from making sacrifices to the gods.Preserve the community, not its omens.It is correct to speak of Heaven below as what connects Heaven,Humanity and Earth.The words of the person who sacrifices backfire."- Translated by Barbara Tovey and Alan Sheets, 2002, Chapter 78

"In the world nothing is more fragile than water, and yet of all the agencies that attack hard substances nothing can surpass it.Of all things there is nothing that can take the place of Tao.By it the weak are conquerors of the strong, the pliable are conquerors of the rigid.In the world every one knows this, but none practice it.Therefore the wise man declares: he who is guilty of the country's sin may be the priest at the altar.He who is to blame for the country's misfortunes, is often the Empire's Sovereign.True words are often paradoxical."- Translated by Dwight Goddard, 1919, Chapter 78

"In the world nothing is supple and weak in relation to waterYet of those things which attack the firm and unyieldingNothing is able to do betterIn what is absent, this easily happens.Being supple conquers the unyieldingBeing weak conquers the firmIn the worldNo one is without knowing itNo one is able to practice it.Appropriately it happens that sages sayHe who accepts the disgrace of a nationIs appropriately called lord of the grain shrineHe who accepts the misfortune of a nationIs appropriately acting as the king of the world.Correct words look like they turn back."- Translated by David Lindauer, Chapter 78

"rememberto be at your bestpattern yourself after waternothing in all the world is softer or more powerfulnothing in all the world can substitute for itnothing in all the world can stop it

in their heartseveryone easily knows thatthe soft and the weakwill always overcome the hard and strongbut they find it difficult to live this way

the secret is tomove the bodymind like water."- Translated by John Bright-Fey, 2006, Chapter 78

"Nothing in the world is Softer or Weaker than water.But when it attacks what is hard and strong none of them can win out, because they have no way of affecting it.Softness overcomes what is hard Weakness overcomes what is unyielding.Everyone in the world understands it no one can practice it.And so the Wise Person says: Taking on a state's dirt makes one lord of its earth altars taking on a state's misfortunes makes one King of the world.Right words seem the opposite."- Translated by Michael LaFargue, 1992, Chapter 78

"Water is soft and yielding, butnothing can more effectively dissolve the hard and inflexible.Weak defeats strong.Soft defeats hard.This is well–known, but not easy to put into practice.Therefore, the Tao–Master says:He who takes upon himself the dirt of the nationbecomes the master of its sacred soil;he who takes upon himself the evils of the landbecomes a true king under Heaven.Straight words seem crooked."- Translated by George Cronk, 1999, Chapter 78

"Nothing is softer, more flexible, or more giving thanwaternothing can resist itnothing can take it awaynothing can endure itthere is no way to hurt it.The flexible overcomes what resists it,the giving overcomes what takes it,the soft overcomes the hard,but who uses this knowledge?Only the person who knows the earthas intimately as the trees and grassescan rule the earth,only the person who acceptsthe guilt and evil of humanitycan rule the universe.Straight tongues seem forked.Straight talk seems crooked."- Translated by Tom Kunesh, Chapter 78

"There is nothing in the worldas soft and weak as water.But to erode the hard and strong,nothing can surpass it;nothing can be a substitute.The weak can overcome the strong;the soft can overcome the hard.There is no-one in the world who does not know this,but there is no-one who can put it into practice.Those who are enlightened say:those who bear a nation's disgracewill become lords of its shrines to earth and grain; *those who bear a nation's misfortunewill become kings under heaven.True words often seem a paradox."- Translated by Tim Chilcott, 2005, Chapter 78